WWE NXT: The 5 count for February 27, 2019
By Matt Black
3. The Boss and Hug Connection make their intentions in NXT clear
Even though Sasha Banks and Bayley told the WWE Universe on Raw last week that they would be defending their newly won WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships across all brands including NXT, no one quite expected the champions to make a surprise appearance on NXT this week.
The Full Sail crowd accepted the return of the Boss and Hug Connection to NXT with open arms. It was clear that Banks and Bayley were both a bit overwhelmed by the support from the crowd. It was evident by the looks on their faces that they were so happy to be back in NXT.
Welcome back, @SashaBanksWWE & @itsBayleyWWE! #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/TvezCRDLHu
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) February 28, 2019
Banks said that they didn’t forget where they came from, and it was clear that the crowd didn’t forget about them either. Bayley pointed out that the last time these two stood in an NXT ring it was as opponents at an NXT TakeOver: Respect in an Iron Woman match for the NXT Women’s Championship. They also noted that while they might have just won the titles their journey was just beginning.
Again, they made it clear that these championships would be defended across all three of the main WWE shows. Bayley stated that the next time the Boss and Hug Connection stepped into an NXT ring it would be to defend them.
It’s clear that as of late NXT has made a conscious effort to start building up their women’s tag team division. With teams like the MMA version of the Four Horsewomen and Io Shirai and Kairi Sane quickly rising up the ranks, Bayley and Banks’ first title defense in the NXT brand could come sooner rather than later.
The Boss has spoken.
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) February 28, 2019
@SashaBanksWWE & @itsBayleyWWE will defend their titles on any brand... including #WWENXT! pic.twitter.com/hjpwVSp3UZ
It wasn’t an accident that the same night the Boss and Hug Connection brought the championships with them on their return to NXT that Vanessa Borne and Aliyah, another newly formed women’s tag team picked up a win against the seemingly-makeshift team of Taynara Conti and Xia Li.
The future of this division, if handled correctly, is very bright and has the long-term potential to become more important than the men’s tag team division, especially with there only being one set of titles instead of three. It will be exciting to to see what’s to come throughout the rest of 2019.